Player-piano



T. P. BROWN.

PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. lo, 191s.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

lvfillllfrrclll'lla.lill/111 P. BRUWN,

PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICAT N FILED OCT. i0, 1916.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THEODORE P. BROWN, OF W'ORGESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PLAYER-PIANO.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application filed October 10, 1916. Serial No. 124,831.

To all whom t may concern:

113e it known that I, Ti-rnononn P. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vorcester, in the county of Worcester' and Commonwealth of liiassachusetts, have in-i vented a new and useful Improvement in Player-Enanos, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to player pianos and particularly to music roll and tracker bar adjusting mechanisms.

The object of my invention is to provide a music roll adjusting mechanism whereby the music roll may be shifted longitudinally without changing its relation to the bearmembers upon which it is rotatably A further object of my invenprovide a device for adjusting the tracker bar, by means of which the music being played may be readily transposed.

ln the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the music roll boi; of a player piano embodying my invention.

l'lig. i?, is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the shifting lever mechanism located in the bottom of the music roll box.

i. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the parts of the music roll adjusting mechanism in its different operative positions, only those parte of the music roll boX relating to this mechanism being shown.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

Feferring to the drawings, the music roll bei: comprises side portions 3 and 4, a back portion 5 and a base 6. A takeup spool. 7 is rotatably mounted between the side portions J l and 4 and is driven in any well known manner by driving mechanism, not shown.

Music spool bearings 8 and 9 are rotatably mounted in the side wall portions 3 and 4 respeoively, between which is supported a music spool. 40, as shown in Fig. 3. rl`he bearing 8 is provided with a reduced portion 8 that extends through the wall 3 and a bra-filmt 10 carried on the outside of the wall A coiled spring 11 surrounds the reduced portion 8- of the bearing 8 between the end of the bracket 10 and a shoulder formed on the bearing 8 at the end of the reduced portion 8a. The spring 11 tends to move the bearing'8 toward the right. The bearing 9 is provided with a reduced portion 9a which extends through the wall 4 and a bracket 15 carried by the wall 4. A lever is pivotally mounted at 14 upon a projection of the bracket 15 and is provided at its upper end with a set screw 12 that is normaliy held in engagement with the end of the reduced portion 9a of the shaft 9.

The lower end of the lever 13 is pivotally connected at 16 to a bar 17 which extends behind the roll box, as indicated in dotted lines, and is pivotally supported at its left hand end by a floating lever 18. The open` ing 18a in the lever 18, through which the end of the bar 17 projects, is made somewhat larger than the end of the bar 17, for :i purpose to be hereinafter described. The upper end of the floating lever i8 is provided with an opening through which the reduced portion 8"L of the shaft 8 projects, the lever 18 being caused to move with "l e shaft 8 by means of a cap or nut 19 card The lower i at the end of the portion 81. end of the iloating lever' 18 is pivotally connected at 20 'to a link 2l that extends through the wall 3. The portion of the lever 18 above the link 21 is hel-d in engagement with a guide 22 by means of a resilient finger 22u. The inner end oi the link 21 is pivotally conn nected to a lever 28 which extends beneath an indicating dial 24 mounted at the front of the roll box. The lever is provided was. a. handle 25, by means of which it may be moved along the indicating dial about its point of pivotal support.

Having described the various parts of he music roll f. inst-ing mechanism, the operation thereof is as follows- Almunia that parte occupy the positions shown l wi i the music spool in its normal n and with the handle 25 of the lever in its extreme ri ht hand position. lt desired to shift .he position of the roll carried by the spool 40, the handle 25 is moved to the left. as shown in dotted lines, thus .fing the lower of the floating lever 18 to the right. As this movement ofcurs, the lever 18 tends to turn about the end of the rod 17 as a pivot, so that the upper end of the lever engages the nut 19 and moves the shaft 8 to the lett against the action of the spring 11. At the same Ytime as the lever 18 is moved about the end of the rod 17, the pressure tending to hold the end of the shaft 9 in engagement with the set screw 12 is relieved, and the rod 17 is free to move bodily to the right to cause the upper end of the lever 13 to move in tion of the lever mechanism. it is obvious .that the reverse action will occur it the handle 25 is moved to the richt so that the music spool may be shifted m either direction by the simultaneous movement ot the shafts S and 9 without any possibility of `misalinement ot the spool due to the failure of the shafts to support the ends ot the spool.

The mechanism for adjustment ot the tracker bar comprises a` lever 26 pivotally mounted at 26a and provided at one end with a handle 29 extending upwardly in 'front otthe indicating dial 2li. A linl 27 is conneated to the lever 26 at the point 28, and is connected at its other end to a lever 30 that is pivotally supported at 3l upon abracket 32. A tracker bar 33 extendingbetween the walls 8 and l of the roll box is slidably mounted at its ends in brackets 36 and 37. The tracker bar is provided at its lett handend with rod that connected to the lever 30 by means oit pin The right hand end of tl e tracker bar 88 is provided with pins 38 to serve as additional bearings therefor. rlfhe bottom of the indicatingdial is provided with a plurality ot' teeth $9, between which the lever is adapted to fit. The link 27 `is preferably made ot inherently resilient material, and its right vhand end is bent downwardly to the point 28 where it is attached to the lever 26, s that the tendency for the end ot the bar to return to its normal posi* tion causes the lever to be held iirmly between the teeth 39.

When it is desired to sh""'t the tracker bar, the handle 29 is pushed downwardly to clear the lever from the teeth and thus allow the handle 29 to be moved either to the right or to the lett to shift the tracker bar through the movement ot link 27 and the lever 30. By this means the music be ine' played be readily transposed.

ldfhile l haveshown my invention in its simple and preferred torni as applied to a speciiic type oie music'roll box for a player piano, it is not so limited but is susceptible or' various modilieations within the scope of the appended claims. i

l claim:-

l. ln a player piano, music spool bear* ings slidably mounted in coaxial relation,

means for normally maintaining said bearings toward each other to support a music spool, and means cooperating with the ends of the bearings for simultaneously shiftingl said bearings in the same direction.

2. In a player piano, music spool bearings slidably mounted in coaxial relation, means for normally maintaining said bearings toward each other to support a music spool, and means cooperating with the ends ot the bearings for simultaneously shitting said bearings along; their longitudinal axes, to change the position oit the music spool.

3. ln a player piano, music spool bearings vslidably mounted in coaxial relation,

spring,` normally biasing one or' said bearings toward the other for supporting` a music spool, and means cooperating` with the ends ot said bearings for releasing the pressureon the spring-pressed bearing., and Jor simultaneously shifting` the bearings along` their longitudinal axes in the saine direction.

4. ln a played piano, music spool bear ings slidably mounted in coaxial relation, a spring` normally biasing one of said bearings toward the other tor supporting a music spool, levers cooperating with the ends oit said bearings, and means for shitting,- the spring-pressed bearing` against the pressure of the spring, the said levers being` so connected that the other bearing is simultaneously shifted in the same direction as the spring-pressed bearing.

5. ln a player piano, music spool bearings slidably mounted in coaxial relation .tor supporting a music roll therebetween, a pair oit levers engaging the ends ot the bearings, and a link connecting,` said levers, whereby said levers vmay be moved in unison to shift the music roll.

6. ln a player piano, music spool bearings slid ably mounted in coaxial relation for supporting a music roll therebetween, a pair or ievers'engaging the ends of the bearings, and a link connecting said levers, one of sa'd levers having` a vfixed pivot and the other lever having a floating pivot provided by the point of connection oi said link, whereby said levers may be moved in unison to shift the music roll.

n testimony whereof hereunto alii?. my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THEGDORE D. BR'WN.

wvlitnesses E'rrmn GARDNER, THoMAs A. HILL. 

